The new government guide for people considering Canadian citizenship denounces African and Asian practices of genital mutilation and forced marriages.

Unveiling it in Ottawa Thursday, Minister of Citizenship Jason Kenney told reporters there is a new section called "Equality of Women and Men" that addresses specific problems.

"It's no secret that we've seen instances of culturally rooted abuse of women, so-called 'honor killings,' forced marriages, and spousal abuse, and even female genital mutilation," Kenney said. "We want to make sure that people understand that multiculturalism doesn't create an excuse to engage in those barbaric cultural practices."

The 62-page booklet is the first update since a previous Liberal government published the last one in 1997 and reflects the Conservative government's values, the Canwest News Service reported.

"Multiculturalism doesn't mean that anything goes. Multiculturalism means that we celebrate what's best about our backgrounds, but we do so on the basis of common Canadian values and respect for our laws," Kenney said.